Ash-pan sprinkler and cleaner for locomotives



March 17, 1925. 1,529,715

C. A. PRATTE ASH PAN SPRINKLER AI ID CLEANER FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed May4, 1923 Z C/mrie: A. Praffa.

. attozncq Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. PBATTE, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ASH-PAN SPRINKLER AND CLEANER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Application filed May 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. PnA'r'rn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, the city and county of Denver, and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ash-PanSprinklers and Cleaners for Locomotives; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe charactors of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to ash pan sprinklers and cleaners forlocomotives.

Railroad trains, as we all know, are drawn almost exclusively by steamlocomotives which burn coal or wood. A locomotive burns a large amountof coal and as a result a large amount of ashes and cinders is produced.It is, of course, not permissible to scatter these ashes and cindersalong the road and therefore each locomotive is provided with an ash paninto which the cinders and ashes are received as they drop from thegrates. These ash pans are provided with hinged bottoms which can beopened and closed from the engine cab and which are operated wheneverthe ashes are dumped as they must be at frequent intervals. Before theashes and cinders are dumped they mustbe thoroughly drenched so as toprevent them from setting'fire to the ties or to other inflammablematerial in the vicinity. Locomotives are usually provided with somemeans for sprinkling the ashes with water but in the majority of casesthe pipes are so arranged that the intense heat to which they aresubjected causes them to burn and become inoperative.

The larger types of modern locomotives are provided with ash pans ofgreat size some of which are eleven feet long and about nine feet wide.These ash pans usually have a longitudinal central depression flanked byoutwardly extending substantially horizontal side plates whose uppersurfaces are spaced six or eight inches from the bottom of the mud ring.Ashes and cinders dropping from the grates lodge on theseplates andunless they are; removed 1923. Serial No. 636,779.

therefrom at frequent intervals the cinders will soon fill the spacebetween the grates and the plates and interfere with the draft andsometimes cause the grates to melt.

It is the object of this invention to provide ash pans of the typereferred towith sprinklers which will not only drench the ashes with aspray of water but which are so designed and arranged that they willclean the side plates of ashes and wash the same into the centraldepressed portion.

My invention can be best explained by reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ash pan equipped withmy sprinklers andshows the manner in which the streams of water coverthe entire pan surface and'clean the same.

Fig. 2, is a section taken on line v22 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the pan shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 47-4: Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal vertical section of another type of ash panequipped with a sprinkler.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the corner sprinklers, portions thereofbeing broken away to better show the construction.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the sprinkler shown in Fig. 6, looking inthe direc-' tion of the arrow 7.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the sprinkler shown in Fig. 6, looking in thedirection of the arrow 8.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the end or central sprinkler with portionsthereof broken away and Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the sprinklershown in Fig. 9 the view being taken looking in the direction of thearrow 10.

The same reference characters will be used to designate the same partsthroughout the several views. f v f; r s.

Numeral 1 represents the bottom of a? locomotive fire box underneathwhich an aslr pan designated as a whole by the numeral 2 is suspended bymeans of bolts 3. pan shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is typical'of the pansemployed in connection with loco: motives of thelarger modern types andco n; prises a central box like compartment hay-i, ing sides l and 5 and,a bottom G thatispre The ash A erably so constructed that it can beopened for the purpose of dumping the ashes or cinders. The central.compartment extends the the entire length of the pan' and its ends areclosed by plates 7 and 8. Secured to the upper edges of the sides areplates 9 which. are of such width that the distance between their outeredgesis slightly .greater than'the width of the grates which aredirectly above.

It is evident that as the cindersand ashesbytmerely"opening a valve washall the cin ders-fi'om' the'tops'ofthe plates 9 into the .centrallongitudinal compartment where they may be thoroughly drenched by meansof a' sprinklen, In'each corner of the larger sized ash pans I place asprinkler l0which is shown in: detail in'Figs. 6, 7 and8. This sprinklerconsistsof a hollow cast iron box.

v having its endll and side12 placed. at right partinen't;

angles to each otherand an arcuate portion 13 connecting the side andend in the manner shown in Fig. 6. The arcuate portion has two rows ofholes 14 extending radially therethrough. The top 15' extends beyondthe-arcuate side portion-13 so as'to form an overhanging downwardlyin'clinedfiange l6; The-side 12 is provided with; a lug 17 having a hole18 for the reception of a bolt 19 by means of-Whiclr the sprink-ler'issecuredv to the plate" 9. The" end ll'ofeach sprinkler isprovided with athreaded opening 60" which is firmly secured a pipe 20 in themannershown inFigs. 1v and-3. The pipes 20 extendinto the cab where theyare provided with valves and are connected to the boiler or to theinjector-line so that when the valves are opened water under full boilerpressure is supplied to the interior ofthe sprinklers. The water willflow out through the radial holes-145- with great force the streamscovering the entireupper surfaced the-plates 9 in the=mannen indicatedin Fig. 1. ,Any

ashes-or=cinders that. may be on top ofthe P plates9 will be washed intothe central com- Thesprinklers 1'0 are located near the-outer edgeoftheash pan and will not burn-out'because they are not subjected toanintense heat and are moreover always c-oole'd'by the air which rushesin tosustain,

th'e'combustion. When the ash pan is shorter than theone showntwosprinklers one in each rearcorner -is enough :but for thelargest-pans four areneeded. At the rear end of the central compartmentI provide a11- other and difierent type of sprinkler which I have shownin detail in Figs.'9.:.and- .1O and which is designated by the numeral21 in j Figs.-1,- 2, 4; and 5. This sprinkler has an upper fiat side;22and. a vertical flat end 23 Which are connected by means of an arcuateside 24. Thesprinkler has two spaced sides 25 and 26. Secured to the end23 are lugs27 each of which is provided with a. hole 28. The upper side22 projects forwardly and,

forms a flange 29.- The arcuate side 24 has a series of spaced flanges30 andbelowea-ch flange there are two or more holes 31.

These holes are so located "with respect'to;

the lower edges of the flanges 30 that the upper edges of the holes arein line with the flanges so that the water when itissues through theholes will strike the lower surface of the flanges and be converted intoa spray. A pipe 32 eonnects'the sprinkler-21 with the boiler ortheinjectorline andv this pipe is also provided with a-valve that canbe-operated from the cab so -that thev engineer or fireman can turn thewater on or ofil. at Wlll. When the valve 1s open'the water which isunder full boiler pressure Wlll.

emerge through holes 31 and will spray the entire centralcompartment-and thoroughly quench any live coals that maybe among thecin'ders. When the doors in thebottom of the; compartment are opened thewetashes drop down on the track and the compartment is thoroughlycleaned by the action oft-he spray. In case of burning ties In Fig. 5- Ihave shown another type of ash pan in which .the side plates 9' areomitted. This ash pan is box-like and-has a space for the accommodationofthe axle 32. The bottom 33 is hinged in the same mannerv as; intheother pan and the sprinkler 21. is. secured to one end in: such amanner-that it will spray the entire contents of the ash Ithasbeencustomary to wetthe ashes before they were dumped, at least, mostengines. have been provided with. means intendedto accomplish this butthe parts have been so located that they would burnout. and render: thedevice inoperative.

I consider that I amthefirst and original inventor'ofa combinationbymeansof whichthe fireman-by opening one .or more valves can' clear thea sh pan and thoroughly sp'rim kle the ashes. I also consider that I amthe first inventor of the type of spray nozzles used in the combination.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In combination, an ash pan having a central longitudinal compartmentadapted to receive ashes and cinders, a flat plate secured toeach sideof said compartment, and separate sprinklers secured to said plates nearthe outer corners thereof said sprinklers being adapted to directinwardly inclined streams of water along the upper surface of the plateswhereby cinders which may be lodged thereon will be washed into thecentral compartment.

2. In combination, an ash pan having a central longitudinal compartmentprovided with outwardly extending, slightly upwardly inclined platesalong its upper edges; sprinklers connected to said plates at the outercorners thereof, each of said sprinklers having one side curved andprovided with a plurality of holes angularly inclined With respect toeach other, said holes opening inwardly towards said compartment, andpipes connected to said sprinklers for supplying water under pressure.

3. I11 combination, an ash pan having a central longitudinal compartmentprovided with outwardly extending, slightly upwardly inclined platesalong its upper edges, a sprinkler secured to each outer corner of saidplates, each of said sprinklers having two straight sides making a rightangle with each other and a curved side connecting the ends of thestraight sides, the straight sides being substantially parallel with thesides and ends of said plates; the curved side having a plurality ofholes inclined with respect to each other, means for clamping thesprinklers to the plates, and means comprising pipes for conductingwater under pressure to said pipe.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES A. PRATTE.

